Crime shows

I had a bad moment recently with my dear boyfriend. He brought over some DVDs of a Swedish detective series that he saw on public television and that he liked. He wanted to share the programs with me.

Well, but, this show opened with a scene of violence against innocent animals – a threatening group of men, trying to intimidate a wealthy landowner by killing his prized possessions – his swans.

I had a melt-down. I can deal with fictional violence to a point, but these characters did something so awful, I lost it. I actually walked out of my apartment. I went down the stairs, in the cold, in my stocking feet. It was so graphic, I could not get far enough away.

I have been re-living that scene in my mind a hundred times, even though I didn’t watch it to the end. It makes me sick.

Boyfriend felt terrible. He had no idea I would reaction that way. That scene was incidental to the narrative. But, this is what I have come to understand:

This seems to indicate I cannot watch crime shows on TV. It’s a huge genre. But many crime shows and detective shows involve vulnerable people – young women, usually – being abducted and murdered. Why would anyone in their right mind think that was entertainment? It’s horrible – this is where it really hurts – so true in real life. How many local news stories are about missing or raped or murdered women?

It makes me know that I have to monitor what media I watch.

How do you feel? Does violence on TV or in movies affect your peace of mind? Do you watch crime shows? How do you deal with the death and violence?